Weighing in at a ground-shaking 330 pounds, it had a head larger than yours.

Past studies of skull and leg bones revealed the bird had a speedy stride and a deadly bite — it could chomp down on dog-sized prey with its hooked beak.

"We found that the Titanis fossils were 2 million years old, and not 10,000 years old as had been suggested," MacFadden said. "This also shows the last known occurrence of Titanis in the fossil record and reflects its extinction."

The scientists arrived at the earlier date by analyzing some of the metallic elements locked up in the pores of Titanis fossil bones found in Texas and Florida — the only places in North America where fossils have been unearthed.